What Changes May Bring

I stared nervously at the screen. After each minute, I felt my heart beat faster and faster. My mind was racing with questions. “Should I do this?” “Should I wait out this transition at work?” “What if I start this new job and they don’t like how I handle things?” What if this and what if that ran through my mind. I was nervous and scared, but I needed this change. I hit send and just like that I had accepted my offer letter. I was moving on with my life into a new position, into a new industry, into the world of the unknown.

My friends and family all know that I enjoy working in the PR and advertising industry. Who wouldn’t? The fast-paced life and flexible schedule, but always on-call is exciting to me! The images and characters they display in movies or TV shows do not compare to the real-life environment. Working with major clients and managing their brands, seeing your work displayed on TV or heard on the radio is exhilarating. I felt I was doing what I always wanted to do. I received my degree in communications and was able to apply my background into the PR industry. I laugh because I was one of those people whose degree was actually used. I have heard people my age complain because they have a degree but they are not in that industry. Which really sucks because degrees are not cheap so you want to be able to use it for something besides saying you have one.

Back to my story. Here I am about to leave the PR world and try something new. “Why, you may ask?” Well, the company I was previously employed lost a major client. A client I worked on, and that means that one day, some people will have to be let go. Being the proactive person that I am I started looking elsewhere in case I was one of those people that was going to get the boot. I thought to myself, maybe this was a sign from above that it was time for me to go anyways. This was my second time back at the company and I didn’t plan on staying there forever. NOW is my time to start looking for something else and this may be the best time to leave, which would be on my own terms. I started my job search, day and night for six months, and when I tell you the job market is slow, I didn’t even get a hit until three months in! Then the interviews started coming in. It was great practice especially since I hadn’t been out in the job market for a while. The interviews gave me the opportunity to practice and perfect my pitch. Then finally, I went on an onsite interview and then they called me back for a second interview. A phone interview followed and then an offer. I was excited! This is a great company to work for, they tell me, and I accepted.

I’m a few weeks in and this industry is not like anything I have experienced before. I have a background in some areas, but the information is all new to me. It’s like starting over from scratch. I remember reading an article in Essence magazine some years back about three women who all decided to change career paths in their mid to late 30s. One woman was a nurse and decided to start her own jewelry company and I can’t remember what the other women transitioned into. I was in my 20s at the time and was thinking “why would they do that?” At this point in their life, they should just settle and collect those coins. Now, I understand. Sometimes in life, you start a career in an industry you love and then one day you don’t love it anymore. Or you choose a job for financial security, but inside you are depressed and miserable. Or even, you are forced into a situation where you have to make a career move based on the circumstances of your employer. All in all, it is okay to change things once in a while. You never know what gift it may bring or the doors that it will open. I am happy I did!

Two girlfriends who share a passion for writing and keeping it real! We met in graduate school and have been friends since 2006. We've seen men come and go, babies being born (only one of us has children 🙂) and our friendship grow. We are besties/sisters for life with an impenetrable bond, dedicated to making each other successful in life and in love.
***This blog is from our own personal experiences and trials. Our thoughts and opinions are our own.